


White Christmas

by ginamc



Category: Star Trek: Enterprise
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-19
Updated: 2017-07-19
Packaged: 2018-12-04 02:28:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,963
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11545563
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ginamc/pseuds/ginamc
Summary: The entertaining tale of how Trip and T'Pol spent their first Christmas together.





	1. Christmas Shopping

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Trip and T'Pol. I only like playing with them.

_**Syracuse, New York-Evening** _  
_**December 6th, 2155** _

The spirit and sounds of Christmas were heavy in the air as Trip and T'Pol made their way down the sidewalk, passing several small shop windows where decorations hung proclaiming the ever-approaching holiday. Men dressed in what Humans referred to as Santa suits stood outside some of the stores with sacring bells in hand as they collected donations for various charities.

Trip paused at one of them and pulled several credit chits from his pocket before dropping them into the collection bucket, the chits chinking softly as they landed atop the many others already inside.

The man smiled warmly, his eyes twinkling. "Thank you and have a Merry Christmas."

Trip returned the smile and nodded, and then continued past as the man began ringing his bell again, exclaiming "Merry Christmas".

The people that Trip and T'Pol walked past seemed surprised at the open warmth with which the two regarded one another. Ignoring the confused and, at times, disapproving stares that passersby gave them, T'Pol leaned closer to Trip, shivering slightly despite the wool-lined jacket that she wore. Trip then slid an arm about her waist and pulled her tighter against him.

"Are you all right?" he asked softly.

She nodded. "I'm fine. It is simply unusually cold. I have not been to New York in the later months."

He chuckled, sliding his hand up to her shoulder. "Then you haven't experienced an old-fashioned Earth Christmas," he teased.

She looked up at him, her head tilted slightly to the right. "I have not experienced any of your holiday customs personally," she corrected.

He gaped at her. "Do you mean to tell me that you've lived on Earth for God knows how long and you've never seen our traditions first hand?"

She arched an eyebrow elegantly and nodded in confirmation. "The database provided sufficient information in regards to your customs. I did not feel it necessary to leave the compound at the time to pursue further data."

A slow grin spread over Trip's features and she noted the mischievous sparkle in his blue eyes that was usually accompanied by his insistence that she sample a new foodstuff or view another of his favorite films.

"Well then I suppose I'll have to show you myself," he drawled.

She felt a small smile tug at the corner of her lips as her brow arched higher. "Perhaps," she replied.

Trip stopped and T'Pol followed his gaze across the roadway to a small shop whose sign read 'Avery Bros Ltd.' "What do you say we start with holiday shopping?" he suggested.

"For the Captain's Christmas party?" she inquired.

Trip smiled and shrugged. "Might as well. If we don't get it done soon, there won't be anything left on the shelves. Christmas is a really crazy time to go shopping."

She inclined her head in agreement and after checking to be sure that it was safe to cross, the two stepped onto the asphalt and then headed for the opposite side at a slight jog with Trip gripping her hand in his, their fingers laced together.

* * *

Trip smiled, seeing T'Pol's eyes light up as she took in the variety of gifts that lined the shelves. "This place sells just about everything you can imagine," he said. "And you get a good price, too."

At the sound of footsteps approaching, Trip turned in time to see an elderly gray-haired man making his way slowly into the room. "Back again, I see," the man said.

Trip chuckled. "Must be a record, huh?"

Mac smiled, replacing his spectacles. "Since you were assigned to Enterprise, yes-a record." It was then that Mac caught sight of T'Pol and his smile widened.

"Oh, Mac, this is T'Pol. T'Pol, this is my friend Macintosh Avery," Trip added.

Mac chuckled. "I'm glad he found you, T'Pol. Pardon my presumption, but Trip needs someone calm and sturdy like you to balance him out."

T'Pol arched her eyebrows and nodded her agreement. "I have arrived at the same conclusion, Mr. Avery," she confirmed.

Trip smiled sheepishly and his cheeks flushed at the comment.

"Call me Mac," the older man insisted. "Everyone does."

T'Pol nodded. "It was agreeable to meet you, Macintosh." She then walked toward the shelves to look at the items there.

Mac grinned wryly at her use of his full given name and Trip chuckled softly. "Give her time, Mac," Trip soothed. "Using your first name at all was a major concession for her. It took me over three years to get her to call me Trip."

Shaking his head, Mac sighed and moved slowly back toward the counter with Trip following behind him. The two leaned on the edge of the wooden surface, Trip's gaze fixed on T'Pol as she examined the glass unicorn that she'd delicately removed from the shelf.

"You seem to like this T'Pol a lot, kid," Mac offered.

Trip's eyes never left T'Pol. "Huh?"

Mac chuckled. "That's what I mean. You've got it bad, Trip."

Trip sighed and nodded. "Yeah," he admitted. "I can't get her off my mind-even when I'm with her, I can't think of anyone or anything else."

The older man's blue eyes twinkled. "That's love-as pure and as strong as it comes."

"I want to tell her," Trip began. "But I suppose I'm afraid that if I do-Things now are the best they've been and I don't want to screw that up, Mac. I don't know if I could take her running away from me again."

T'Pol blew out a gentle puff of breath to remove the dust from another item she was analyzing and coughed delicately. A wistful smile spread over Trip's lips as she wrinkled her nose to keep from sneezing. Her attempts, however, were unsuccessful and she sneezed daintily into her sleeve.

Mac paused before moving behind the counter to search for something. A moment later, the older man surfaced with a large bound book. Trip's brow furrowed as he fingered the lettering gently, his eyes widening as he realized what it was. "I've been looking everywhere for this," he said in a harsh whisper.

Mac looked toward T'Pol who was still browsing the shelves before wrapping the book in tissue paper and sliding it into a paper bag. "I'll let you deal with the fancy bows and paper. That's half the fun, after all."

Trip reached into his pocket to pay for the book, but Mac waved him off. Trip opened his mouth to protest, but Mac cut him off with a stern glance. "Consider it thanks for all the times you saved my ass at Kat's Place," he insisted.

Trip grinned. "I imagine your ass is always going to need saving."

"Then I'll know just who to call on," Mac teased.

"Thanks, Mac," Trip said in a low voice so that T'Pol wouldn't overhear. "You have no idea how much I appreciate this."

A moment later, T'Pol approached the counter with several items in hand and set them down to be rung up. "That'll be 123 credit chits," Mac said.

T'Pol paid for her items and the two exited the store, waving a cheerful goodbye to Mac.

* * *

The two strode down the snow-covered sidewalks, discussing who would become intoxicated the soonest and what they would do in said state.

Trip shook his head. "No, no. I'm telling you it's going to be Malcolm. All bets on that he and Hoshi will end up under the mistletoe at least once."

T'Pol arched an eyebrow. "I'm unfortunately very aware of Lieutenant Reed's tendency to overindulge, given the discussions Ensign Sato and I have had in relation to said matter; however, given Ensign Sato's lack of tolerance for alcoholic beverages, I'm confident that it will be she who becomes inebriated most quickly."

Trip chuckled, his gaze locking with hers. Blood pounded in his ears and his heart skipped a beat when he noted a small smile forming on T'Pol's lips. He frowned in disappointment when the smile disappeared just as quickly.

He turned away and cleared his throat. "So...next we're going to need a tree."

"Do we not need items with which to decorate it as well?" she asked.

He grinned sheepishly. "I visited with my mama for awhile when I first got back and she gave me a whole box of stuff that she and Pop had been saving up to give me after I got my own place. But then I took the posting aboard Enterprise, so..."

"I believe there is a vendor in San Francisco at 19th Avenue & Sloat Boulevard that is reputable," T'Pol offered.

"Yeah. Larry's," Trip added. "Good prices, too. He might be just the man to see."


	2. Decorating the Tree

They had searched the lot for nearly an hour and had yet to find a tree that met Trip's expectations. She could see it in his crestfallen expression as he examined dying leaves and lifeless branches. She was leaning forward to examine another when she heard his shout.

"T'Pol! I found it!"

She saw his eyes light up as his gaze fell on one in particular. In the far corner hidden behind sparse, rotting trees. This tree's branches were full and green with not a spot of brown and it looked to be about six feet high. It was a perfect match to Trip's description of the ideal pine.

He rushed toward it, like a child claiming his favorite toy. She quickly moved to join him, noting the owner's sudden interest.

With a knowing smile, the man proclaimed, "Beauty, isn't she? We just got this one in off the truck a few minutes ago."

T'Pol laid a gentle hand on his shoulder to make him aware of her presence. He smiled down at her and wrapped an arm around her waist, then returned his attention back to the owner.

"How much?" Trip asked.

The owner paused rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Trees this height usually go for around 35."

"Sounds about right," Trip agreed. "Does that include the tree stand?"

T'Pol glanced at the base of the pine and noted the circular piece that it seemed held the tree upright.

"Yep," the man said with a grin. "I can even throw in a tree skirt for another 3."

Trip nodded and the man pulled out a PADD, entering the information onto it before extending to Trip for his thumbprint. By the end of the exchange, the two were shaking hands and the tree was being loaded onto the roof of the hovercar Trip had rented to take it to his temporary quarters.

"Are you certain the building where you are staying will approve of placing this live fauna in your temporary quarters?"

Trip shrugged. "I checked with the building supervisor. He seemed fine with it as long as I clean up after we're done. The tree skirt will catch a lot of the pine needles as they fall off."

* * *

It wasn't long before they arrived back at the building where he was staying. T'Pol had offered to help him bring the tree inside, but he had insisted he could handle it, murmuring something about "family tradition". After some wiggling and wrangling, Trip had managed to get it secured in the tree stand and wrap the skirt around the base. As she watched him make the final adjustments, she recalled an image from her research of Human holiday customs.

In the holophoto, a grown male was bringing a pine into his home, much as Trip had just done, with his wife watching with a contented smile and his three children grinning excitedly as they looked through the decorative ornaments. It struck her in that moment how she longed for that with him. The notion was so Human, and yet, so natural to her.

"All set," Trip said, standing to admire his handiwork.

"It's most aesthetically pleasing," she murmured. "You mentioned that your mother had provided you with decorative ornaments for the tree?"

He pointed to a box on the couch. "That's them."

Curious, she moved toward it and removed the lid before lifting the top ornament. It was a most interesting decoration. It appeared handcrafted and bore the initials C.A.T. and the year 2129. The ornament itself looked to be a model of an early class of Earth space vessel.

"Most remarkable," she commented. "At what age did you craft this?"

He looked up from arranging the tree skirt and his brow furrowed in thought. "Does it have a year on it?"

"2129."

He paused. "I was eight, then."

Arching an eyebrow, she added, "You were most skilled for your age."

"Yeah. Dad always said I'd make a good engineer."

She nodded. "He was correct. Is the tree ready for decoration?"

"It's all set."

Taking the ornament in her hand, she placed it in the central-most location on the tree where it would be best seen, then stepped back to check the placement. This process continued for some time as Trip explained the significance of each decoration its history. Though many were handmade, many also seemed professional crafted and according to Trip, were gifts from various relatives and family members. At last they reached the bottom of the box and T'Pol pulled out the last ornament.

"And this ornament?"

Trip froze when he caught sight of it. He remained silent for the longest time before moving toward her and taking it delicately into his hand. She noted the moisture gathering at the corners of his eyes. She recognized the character as the female child from the Precious Moments collection. These figurines had been extremely popular in the mid to late 21st century. Gingerly, he fingered the words "baby's first Christmas".

"Mama must have put this in there by accident," he murmured. "She wouldn't give me this. It's-"

A PADD in the box caught T'Pol's eye and she removed it, noting that the contents were addressed to Trip. "This is intended for you."

Taking the PADD, he skimmed the letter, his eyes widening and the tears that had been threatening earlier at last broke free. Again, he was silent for an extended time and T'Pol feared that he'd gone into shock.

"She wants me to have it," he choked. "To remember Elizabeth."

T'Pol's throat tightened with emotion at the reminder of their deceased daughter. She'd known and experienced Human compassion in a variety of ways in her time among them, but the extent of compassion conveyed by Elaine's gesture for the grandchild that she'd never truly known had tears spilling down her cheeks. She brushed them away with the back of her hand, careful to avoid drawing Trip's notice.

"We must remember to thank her," she whispered.

Trip nodded and smiled. "I know just the place for this."

Within moments, the figurine hung beside Trip's handmade model. It seemed fitting somehow. Had Elizabeth survived, they would be celebrating the holiday as a family. The child would be spoiled by her Human grandparents with sweets and would enjoy her gifts with her cousins.

"I miss her."

Trip's smile wavered and he hugged her to him, kissing her forehead. "Yeah, I know. Me, too."

* * *

An hour later, Trip sat on the couch waiting for T'Pol to emerge from the shower. He'd found the contact information for a Chinese food place that delivered and had placed an order. It was due to arrive at any moment. He heard the water turn off followed by the sounds of T'Pol searching through her luggage.

"I ordered dinner," he shouted. "I got you tofu, just like you asked."

She emerged from the bedroom wearing the same blue triaxian silk pajamas that she'd worn for their first neuropressure session and he swallowed roughly. In that moment, he decided she was trying to do him in. There was no way she didn't know what the clinginess of the material combined with the bit of her abdomen that the top revealed did to him.

"That's acceptable. Thank you." She looked up and noted his stare, her brows arching at the expression. "Is my choice of nightwear inappropriate? If so, I can select another outfit."

He shook his head dumbly. "Good Lord above, no. You look amazing in that."

A slight olive flush filled her cheeks at the compliment and she strode toward him, then placing a chaste kiss on his lips. After a few moments' of tense silence, she murmured. "What is next on your agenda for me to experience?"

Clearing his throat, he replied, "I heard they're building a new outdoor ice skating rink down by Central Park. They'll be opening it on the 13th."

T'Pol arched an eyebrow questioningly. "Ice skating?"

He nodded. "Yeah. Skating with bladed shoes on artificially-frozen-"

"I am familiar with the pastime," she replied matter-of-factly. "My last attempt to ice skate led to a rather serious injury. It is illogical to risk another."

He grinned. "I'll catch you if you fall. Cross my heart."

T'Pol arched an eyebrow as Trip did just that. She paused for several moments giving in to his nonverbal pleas.

"In which direction do we walk to reach this ice skating rink?" she queried.

Trip's grin widened and he chuckled. "It's an hour trip by shuttle and a fifteen minute walk after that."

She inclined her head. "That sounds agreeable."


	3. To Ice Skate Or Not To Ice Skate

**New York City, New York—Evening  
** **_December 13 th, 2155_ **

 The two walked from the shuttle port and arrived at the entrance to the rink. T’Pol noted the aesthetically pleasing view of the winter landscape just beyond the rink and her gaze slid to a sign that read ‘Central Park’.

Snow lay like soft blankets on the bare, frozen branches of the trees usually so green. Park benches were coated with thick sheets of snow and the sidewalks glistened like diamond rock from the ice that covered them.

She watched several tourists attempt to navigate the slick walkways and arched an eyebrow as a couple of them nearly lost their balance. However, the two managed to cling to one another and to stay on their feet. It was then that she became aware of Trip gripping her shoulder. She started slightly before turning to him.

“You rent skates over this way I guess,” Trip said, tugging her gently toward the counter at the other end of the rink.

She nodded, allowing him to do so. She slid her hand into his, gripping it tightly so that she wouldn’t lose him in the throng of people leaving the rink.

Once the portly gentleman at the counter had measured and fitted the two with their skates, Trip demonstrated the proper lacing of the skates. However, the task remained difficult for T’Pol, as she hadn’t seen this style of lacing before.

Trip chuckled softly and laced her skates for her, sliding a hand up to her calf to position her leg so that she wouldn’t hurt her ankle while he laced them—at least that’s what he told her. He repeated the action on her other leg and their gazes locked. T’Pol sucked in a quiet breath as Trip caressed her calf. There was no mistaking what he truly meant by the gesture. It was sensual and warm and it reeked of Human sexuality—an attempt to draw her into the fire with him.

A child nearby screamed in outrage and shattered the moment. Trip cleared his throat awkwardly and returned to the complicated task of lacing her skates. Once he was sure they were tight enough that she wouldn’t trip, he slowly led her around to the ice floor entrance.

“This is most uncomfortable,” she said as she struggled to walk on the thin metal blade.

Trip caught her as she stumbled yet again, then slipping an arm around her waist for support. “Yeah, it’s tough to get used to. It takes lots of practice,” he replied.

T’Pol’s brow furrowed. “You don’t appear to be having any difficulties,” she countered.

A flush colored his cheeks. “I played ice hockey when I was a kid. They made us skate lord-knows-how-many laps everyday. I picked it up quick, but my brother, Albert, quit after three weeks. He said he was worried he’d hurt himself and wouldn’t be able to run when track season came ‘round.” Trip chuckled. “Weak excuse if you ask me. I think he was mad that I was better than him at something. He always was a faster runner than me. He took first in all of the hurdle and sprint events. He even took first in the long jump a couple of times.”

He turned toward her and halted at the curious expression on her face. He frowned. “What?”

“I simply did not envision you as someone to participate in athletic competitions on such levels,” she replied.

He shrugged. “I had to get rid of all that restless energy somehow.” An innocent smile curved his lips. T’Pol repressed the urge to return it.

At last, they were at the ice floor entrance. T’Pol glanced at the ice-covered ground warily before taking her first step onto it. She hadn’t fallen as she’d thought she would. She arched an eyebrow before gripping the sidewall and stepping onto the ice with her other foot.

Trip couldn’t help but laugh at the picture before him. The ever-composed T’Pol struggled to remain upright and clung to the sides like a child clinging to her mother on her first day of kindergarten. Her brow was furrowed in concentration and her gaze remained trained on the ice beneath her feet. She took one slow, cautious step forward and then another and then another.

Trip stepped onto the ice after her and glided across the iced surface with ease, completing a whole lap before T’Pol was an eighth of the way around the oval of the rink. He then moved past her for a second lap.

T’Pol gave up her struggle for a moment to watch him. She found herself unable to turn away. He moved one foot forward and then the other, again and again. He moved with such ease that she couldn’t help but admire his natural ability.

She shook her head. Admiration was a Human emotion. She merely found his display of talent aesthetically pleasing. Her gaze shifted to his facial features. His eyes twinkled and a small smile danced across his lips as he completed a series of turns that T’Pol was certain had taken several years to master. Human or not, admiration was the only word that accurately described what bubbled inside of her at seeing this new side of Trip.

He completed another lap and this time came to a stop beside her.

“Do you need some help there?” he asked. She nodded and he grinned, turning to skate backwards and grasped her hands in his. “Just do what you were doing before.” She glanced at the ice beneath her feet warily. “You won’t fall,” he whispered. “I’ll catch you. I promise.”

Her gaze locked with his and she nodded. She glanced back down at the ice and took a cautious step forward. Her eyebrows shot up in surprise when she began to fall forward. Trip steadied her and she took another step forward. And another. And another.

Soon, she was gliding slowly over the ice. She glanced up at Trip. The toe of her skate caught on the ice and she yelped in surprise as she began to fall forward.

Trip stopped and she fell into his arms. He hugged her to his chest protectively.

“Are you all right?” he asked.

She nodded. “This activity is most unpleasant.”

Trip nodded. “It’s okay. We can do something else if this is too much for you.”

“Perhaps a cup of hot chocolate?” she suggested.

Trip grinned. “Sounds good. And I know just the place.”

The two then left the rink.


End file.
